


fake it (until we make it)

by mvpchani



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, New Year's Eve, minhyun is a smooth fool, nielwoon as a side pairing, seongwoo is a dense fool
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-24 12:05:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvpchani/pseuds/mvpchani
Summary: Seongwoo's tired of having to be on the receiving end of his friend's teasing about his single life -- really, it's not his fault he accidently involves Minhyun out of all people in his mission of a fake relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay, i initially planned to upload this on one go on new year's eve (today) but the story is taking on new lengths and keeps on getting bigger and bigger -- i simply cannot finish it before 2018 ;; 
> 
> for this reason i decided to upload the beginning already and add the rest tomorrow. with that, i wish everyone to enjoy the last day of the year to the fullest!

Seongwoo has been caught up in writing his assignment which is due to tonight, to be exact in four hours, twenty-two minutes and thirty seconds, but the melody of _I Am The Best_ blasting from his phone’s speaker on full volume yanked him out of his flow from one moment to the other.

There’s no need to check the ID of the caller to know who is on the other line and Seongwoo contemplates to ignore his friend, or better yet, make his message clear by declining the incoming call, but having known Jaehwan for good two years by now, it wouldn’t stop him but sporn him on to keep annoying Seongwoo until the latter finally caves in.

With a heavy sigh of frustration, Seongwoo picks up his mobile phone and presses it to his right ear, being greeted with Jaehwan’s psychotic cackling right away. _Just great_.

“Ong-ie hyung, it’s a pleasure to know that you’re still alive,” Jaehwan sneers into the phone, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and all Seongwoo does is to let out a groan while massaging his temples to ease the headache that is threatening to split his head just from hearing Jaehwan’s shrill voice. He doesn’t have the time nor the nerves and energy to deal with whatever bullshit Jaehwan is going to hit Seongwoo up.

“I’m going to end this call if you don’t tell me what’s the matter right now,” Seongwoo threatens with a strained voice but all it does is to amuse Jaehwan even further. Sometimes, Seongwoo really wonders why he doesn’t have better friends, but then he remembers how his friends put up with his weird quirks and merciless teasing just as much; in the end, they all fit together like puzzle pieces, but that doesn’t stop Seongwoo from (love)hating them occasionally.

“You know, you really need some sex sometimes, I’ve heard it works wonders for those who have a stick up their ass,” the annoyed groan that escapes the back of Seongwoo’s throat flies just past Jaehwan’s head and before Seongwoo even gets the chance to counterattack with Jaehwan’s hopeless crush on Sewoon, the younger boy continues on with seemingly no worry in his voice, “but I think you wouldn’t mind having the stick be replaced instead with some dick.”

In that moment, Seongwoo considers to end the call right there and shut up Jaehwan’s potty mouth but even more so to blend out his high-shrill laughter that erupted from the other side of the line. Most of all, the literature student really needs to go back to his assignment if he wants to pass this class, and so he prompts his friend to hurry the fuck up. He doesn’t have any more time to spare on Jaehwan’s unnecessary commentary.

“Okay, okay, I just called to say that my parents are out of town on New Year’s Eve and we’re going to throw a party at their house. I’d say that you can bring along a plus one, but…”

Seongwoo doesn’t even bother to finish listening to another one of Jaehwan’s drags about Seongwoo’s sad single life as it is something he has to put up with every other day. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t irking him -- even though he isn’t the only single person in their friends circle (fuck, Jaehwan’s even worse than him in that aspect), Seongwoo is the one getting the most teased for it simply because he might whine about it here and then. Or maybe he does it a lot. Either way, Seongwoo is vocal about his displeasure about his current lonely life, but as a hard-working student, he doesn’t have the time to date.

Enough is enough though and Seongwoo just wants to hear the end of all the teasing; on New Year’s Eve, all he wants to do is to enjoy himself, and not be the target for his friends’ bullying.

The solution he has come up with is rushed and the dumbest idea he has ever had for so many reasons, but Seongwoo is just tired, annoyed and his nerves are high-strung. It’ll only occur to him in how much shit he has rid himself into once he’s done with his assignment and has the time to think through his day in peace.

For now, he just goes with the flow and allows himself to be impulsive.

“I already have a date to bring along.” There’s a shocked gasp coming from the other line, which boosts up Seongwoo’s confidence and makes him feel all smug and accomplished and more dense. “Add Hwang Minhyun to the list of guests.”

Before Jaehwan could have interrogated Seongwoo, the latter ends the call and puts his phone on silent in case he’s going to get bombarded with questions. In no way is Seongwoo in a fully conscious state of mind to come up with good replies, as partially his mind is still on the assignment, and really, he doesn’t have to explain himself, right? All he needs to do is to ask Minhyun to tag along, from what he has gathered by their talk during lunch break the day before is that Minhyun plans on staying inside that day, which means more or less that the other boy is free and available.

He’ll come up later with a plan to bribe Minhyun into actually agreeing to be Seongwoo’s date for New Year’s Eve. After all, it’s just for one night and after that, they can pretend to have broken up.

Just one night, Seongwoo isn’t asking for more.

(Seongwoo later realizes once he’s settled in bed and free of his burden and worries about handing in his work in time - he managed to do that in the last minute - that he has dug himself his own grave by suggesting his secret kinda crush Minhyun was going to be his (pretend) boyfriend.

If he gets a taste of what it’s like to date his person of desire, will he be able to face the heartbreak afterwards? Will he be able to forget the memories created on that special night, that night which is meant to be full of euphoria and to be spent high on endorphins as the years change and open the door to a new beginning?

Would Seongwoo be able to bury his dearest secret once again into the depths of his soul after knowing how it’s like to be loved by the one who has his heart racing and his thoughts and dreams filled with wishes and hopes of the love blossoming between them?)

 

***

The weight of Seongwoo’s abrupt decision starts crashing down on him the day after, sooner than one might have thought.

Before he has gone to sleep, Seongwoo decides to just suck it up and confront Minhyun after their lecture together, and somehow sweet-talk him into playing along.

However, no matter how perfect he has framed out the situation in his head, he should have expected that daydreams never turn into reality. Conversations never flow in the way one plans them out beforehand, outcomes and reactions can’t be predicted, and surely, the timing of a plan can change from one moment to the other.

In Seongwoo’s case, exactly nothing is going according to plan, causing him even more anxiety than it has been jittering in his body all morning already.

The cause of his problems? None other than his best friend, Kang Daniel.

“Ong Seongwoo, I’m cancelling our friendship,” is the first thing Seongwoo got to hear on his way to his class, just a few steps outside the room. Luck couldn’t have been on his side and allow him to slip past the awkward situation of explaining to any of his friends the situation with Minhyun -- sure, while he wasn’t able to sleep, Seongwoo came up with a few answers that covered up the most important parts, but as long as Minhyun wasn’t privy to the pretend relationship, it is all futile from Seongwoo to spew some baseless facts.

For now, Seongwoo is trapped inconveniently into putting up a facade, and talk himself out of a proper conversation with Daniel. The last part however is easier said than done -- he’s faced with his best friend of years, who is known to be quite stubborn. No way in hell is Daniel going to let Seongwoo off the hook without any explanation.

_You have broken our code of honor! Bros before hoes, man! What happened to that?_

This and more are the sentences that are already swirling around in Seongwoo’s head, all spoken in the same deep voice belonging to his best friend, who resembles an angry oversized puppy at the moment; lips sticking out to a small pout, arms crossed in front of his chest, hip standing out in a diva-like way. Seongwoo doesn’t know if he should be intimidated (all thanks to the fierce look in Daniel’s eyes) or laugh at the ridiculity of Daniel’s stance. Maybe Seongwoo should just start crying, in his mind it sounds like the best solution, simply for two reasons: one to throw Daniel out of his concept and secondly to shake off the anxiety running through his veins.

“I can’t believe I heard from Jaehwan, okay, from Kim Jaehwan out of all people, the news of you being together with Minhyun!”

Daniel’s voice is not only accusing, but brash and loud as well, and before Seongwoo even has the chance to shush his best friend and drag him to another place as long as it’s far, far, _far_ away from his classroom, Seongwoo is met with his death in person.

Out of all the possibilities of turning his plan into nothing but ruins, it is Minhyun who happens to be ‘late’ to the lecture hall and runs into them at the worst possible moment out of any.

Seongwoo wants nothing more than for the ground to swallow him up as a whole, or maybe for him to fall of the surface of earth with no trace left of him, all signs of his existence to be vanished even in the memories of those who have encountered him throughout their lives.

Love seems to be cursed for Seongwoo and no matter in which way he’s trying to approach it, no matter how he encounters it, he falls flat on his face time and time again. Surely after this embarrassing moment, Minhyun is going to drop Seongwoo from his life all along, Daniel along with his other friends are going to tease him to the moon and back for making up a relationship, and Seongwoo is going to have to look the consequences into its eyes and let the wave of shame wash over him.

“You fool, haven’t told your friends yet? Ah, why are you so shy, Seongwoo-yah?”

The universe must have been playing tricks on him now as a way of revenge to let him pay for his sin of lying, right? So why is Minhyun suddenly hugging Seongwoo from the side, snaking his arm around his little waist, and pressing closer to him? Around himself, the world starts to spin and Seongwoo can not only feel, but _hear_ his heartbeat racing in the confines of his chest, which doesn’t get past Minhyun, who bumps their head together lovingly and grins at Seongwoo in a way that almost causes Seongwoo’s knees to buckle from the whirlwind of emotions raging inside himself.

Seongwoo is losing himself in the moment, in the warmth of Minhyun’s loose embrace, in the rush of blood pounding in his ears, in the overwhelming sensation of being so close to Minhyun despite it not being the first time ever -- and yet, there’s still a difference, a weird intimacy, or maybe it’s just the pretending act of intimacy, Seongwoo’s rational side tries to argue.

Only the gagging sound coming from Daniel tears Seongwoo out of his trainwreck of thoughts and his head snaps instantly to his best friend’s direction, whose face is scrunched up in disgust and all anger from before nowhere to be seen as Daniel’s eyes roll back in annoyance.

“Please don’t do this on the party. You were just looking at Minhyun as if he’s your universe,” Daniel barks out but instead of being offended, Seongwoo wants to yell back that Minhyun _is_ Seongwoo’s galaxy, the center of his world, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to sprint way past the limits than he already did. It’s a miracle enough that Minhyun is playing along with no complaints or awkwardness seeping from him.

Laughing Daniel’s comment off, Minhyun promises him to control Seongwoo, and finally the youngest among them takes a leave but not without giving Seongwoo another accusing look filled with ‘we’ll talk later’-promises, which makes the latter gulp nervously and wave at Daniel unsurely.

There’s only a split moment of relief for Seongwoo before he feels Minhyun’s fingers dig painfully into his side, eliciting a small yelp from the raven-haired boy as he slightly crumbles into himself.

“What the fuck-” Seongwoo doesn’t even get the chance to complain about the slight pain inflicted to him as Minhyun’s stern stare both scares and excites Seongwoo; blood pumping through his veins in a rush caused by a surge of anxiety, while simultaneously it all pools down south, and Seongwoo has to press his thighs together and advert his face resembling a tomato to the side in order to break apart from Minhyun’s hypnotizing gaze.

“You know, it’s breaking news to me that I’m your boyfriend, care enough to enlighten me?”

It can be clearly seen that Minhyun hasn’t received those words well -- his fringe is tousled and falling over his dark eyes, rough at the edges and dilated as he stared down Seongwoo, who for once wants nothing more than to crawl out of his skin all while feeling so much smaller under Minhyun’s judging gaze piercing through him and his passive-aggressive demeanour. Arms crossed in front of his chest, Minhyun is resembling a silent predator waiting to jump on its prey, a prey that is paralyzed and unable to escape as it (he) is staring into the fox’s eyes filled with a rare intensity.

There’s a strong opposition radiating from Minhyun, but considering the fact that he’s still standing in front of Seongwoo in a not so defensive manner only shows curiosity -- almost as if he’s intrigued but still wants the raven-haired boy to spill the deeds. The gears in his mind are working non-stop to get a grasp of the situation, to come up with an intelligent explanation, but nothing is working out anymore and no one is there who’s got Seongwoo’s back. In times like these, he can’t expect Minhyun to be his support as he usually is; instead, he’s a big red sign of danger for Seongwoo, danger he has to look straight into the eyes and mitigate with the right words. _Easier said than done_.

However, even if all of Seongwoo’s courage, self-confidence and the likes are shattering to millions of pieces, it would be so unlike him if he doesn’t fake his smoothness and talk himself out of anything with his overflowing charms.

“Ah, Minhyun, you might need to help me out?” Seongwoo’s grin is teasing albeit forced just the slightest but his eyes are just shy of Minhyun’s, peeking out rather under his bangs to focus on a spot somewhere on the floor. He tries to act in a mix between being collected and coy, even though his heart is still racing in his chest, but he’d be damned if his acting classes hasn’t helped him to fake it until he makes it.

 _Fake it until you make it_ \-- that’s the premise of the whole relationship Seongwoo has revived out of seemingly nowhere all while having forgotten that it takes two people to make a connection work.

So far, it seems as if there aren’t any sparks between them, or at least not coming from Minhyun’s side; well, Seongwoo hasn’t hoped for anything more out of the idea (okay, at least not for the most parts, probably, maybe) but Minhyun doesn’t seem to be fond of giving Seongwoo a helping hand as a friend.

Minhyun is still giving Seongwoo an expecting look, his foot tapping against the floor in an impatient rhythm, and there’s no turning back anymore -- and so he explains beginning from the call with Jaehwan to the point Seongwoo has become entangled in this spectacle of its own. In between their conversation, the two of them have to shift over into the lecture hall once they see their professor coming and speak in hushed whispers and crumbled notes of messy writings and shortened explanations just to not attract any unwarranted attention.

At some point, Minhyun stops replying and gives Seongwoo a mere promise of another talk later, in private and no stressful and pressuring environment, and focuses on the lecture instead. It’s hard for Seongwoo though to direct his flow of thoughts on the blabbering of his professor, hell, he doesn’t even know what’s the topic of today's class. Everything that is running through his mind are the possible outcomes of Minhyun’s answer as the other hasn’t given him any hint of his feelings towards the situation. Seongwoo wouldn’t say that Minhyun is hard to read for him, generally he is a perceptive person, but Seongwoo’s rational side of his mind is clouded and not so helpful anymore in judging Minhyun’s body language and expressions correctly.

If Seongwoo has to be honest, he’s scared of a rejection, has always been of being hit with the harsh and cold reality of losing Minhyun if he disclosures his heart. This asking out for a pretend relationship is as close as it gets to confessing and as close as it gets to Seongwoo having to hand over his metaphorical heart in Minhyun’s hands, either to see it being treated gently or to see it being crushed between his fingers and stamped on to in between the dirt of the cold ground.

Sure, if he thinks it through just a step more, Seongwoo would know that Minhyun could never be cruel to him; love and gentle care is all he’s been given by Minhyun, he has been a receiver of Minhyun’s soft nature, but even one who could never hurt someone dear to them could unintentionally inflict heartbreak without meaning to.

The gears in Seongwoo’s mind work in rapid speed, sending him into an eternal spiral of overthinking, overanalyzing and self-loathing, and only once he sees Minhyun’s face a bit _too much_ in his personal space does time start passing by normally again. Out of instinct, Seongwoo freezes to his spot, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, and his eyes almost popping out of its sockets -- it has Minhyun backing away instantly albeit he places a soothing and gentle hand on Seongwoo’s shoulder.

“I guess we have to work on our intimacy if we want to appear natural, don’t you think?”

What.

Seongwoo can’t believe his own ears, maybe he’s still in his weird trance and Minhyun’s voice is just too branded into his mind, it sounds too real if he’s thinking about his possible words. That however doesn’t explain the squeeze on his shoulders, and Minhyun’s lips curling in a small smile as they’re moving once again, forming to the syllables so prettily and there’s no doubt anymore about the reality (albeit absurd one) of Minhyun’s… acceptance?

“We have a lot to talk about. How about I’m treating you for lunch?”

 

***

They have decided to visit their usual ramen shop just a few streets down their university building, mostly because the ambience is familiar to them: relaxing, comfortable, _safe_.

Even if it’s just another eating spot for broke university students simply because the food is cheap but tasty nonetheless, they have become accustomed to end up at the small restaurant at least once a week for more than the good offers; it’s a safe place on its own and they have realized that their conversations flow so well there, it only seems to be the best place to visit for their upcoming talk about their pretend-relationship.

After they have found a table for two at the back, Minhyun goes to order and pay for their usual dishes and comes back a few minutes later with the food in tow. Just that little time waiting for him has Seongwoo fall into another pit of despair as another surge of nervosity runs through him, turning him antsy and jittery and surely making a funny scene for outsiders.

“Relax,” Minhyun murmurs and leans forward to squeeze Seongwoo’s shoulder again, digging in his fingers in a lingering touch, but all it does is to send an electrifying shiver down his spine. His body’s reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by Minhyun, who retracts his hand and clears the lump in his throat with an awkward cough, and Seongwoo starts to wonder how the issue of fake dating could put a wedge between them. If it was any other day, they would be sitting there, laughing about Minhyun’s lame dad jokes, complain about their classes and assignments (Seongwoo more so due to his habit of putting them off ‘till last minute) and merely enjoy the peacefulness of their presence over the silence of eating food.

Yet it isn’t any other day, any other normal situation, but there’s only Seongwoo left to blame for putting them into an awkward position -- even if Minhyun has already agreed. He’s obviously not comfortable with it and the only explanation Seongwoo has for it is for the fact that he’s only seen as a mere friend by his crush, nothing more, nothing less.

“So, how about you let me in on the plan?” Minhyun asks after a few minutes of heavy silence stretching across them, only the slurping noises being heard, and Seongwoo has to regain his composure and clear his scattered mind to properly introduce Minhyun to the idea of fake-dating.

“Well, uh, we’ll go to Jaehwan’s New Year’s Eve party together and act as boyfriends.” All Minhyun does in response is to hum lightly, nodding his head absently until a small smile spreads across his lips, which makes Seongwoo’s heart skip a beat. Even after having known Minhyun for a long time already, the other boy still manages to turn Seongwoo’s world upside down -- he’s that whipped.

Suddenly, there’s a mischievous sparkle in Minhyun’s eyes as he leans in once again, oh so slowly, his lips curling into a smirk, and stays still with his face only inches away from Seongwoo’s, who can feel the other’s hot breath fanning on his skin. Gulping down nervously, Seongwoo notices Minhyun’s fox eyes flickering to his throat as his Adam’s apple becomes even more prominent, but the fleeting moment of a weird intensity is broken in the next moment as Minhyun reaches out with his hand, swiping away crumbles of the food from the corner of Seongwoo’s thin lips.

Just as sudden as the initiation of contact is Minhyun’s sudden withdrawal, smugness being written all over his expression as he leans back in his seat, and Seongwoo wants to spit out some mean comment, show some sign of disgust to hide his embarrassment behind it, but there’s a lump stuck in his throat making it unable to get out any words.

“Mh, where’s my witty and responsive _Ongcheongie_?”

A groan which gets halfway stuck in Seongwoo’s throat manages to escape his lips as he throws his hands up into the air in a gesticulary way before he bangs his forehead against the table, whining in agony only to elicit a soft chuckle out of Minhyun. Even if he’s making a fool out of himself, as long as he hears Minhyun’s laughter and happiness, it’s all he needs to feel at ease even if his whole body was tensing just less than a hour ago.

Furthermore, the gentle fingers threading through his hair softly gives another calming effect, and Seongwoo can’t help but to lean into the touch, resembling a cat as he presses his head more into the palm of Minhyun’s warm palm; instead of flinching away, Minhyun ruffs Seongwoo’s raven locks in an endearing manner, attentive but softened eyes lingering on the smaller boy, which goes unnoticed by Seongwoo as he doesn’t dare to look up yet and break the magical moment.

“Let’s just act natural on the party so to convince your friends. It’s better than to come up with a confusing love story.”

In order to gain Seongwoo’s full attention, Minhyun slides his hand down to cup his cheek, forcing him to look up; the younger one of them loses himself in Minhyun’s warm brown orbs and even the tiniest feeling of insecurity is blown away by a gentle breeze of hope.

Seongwoo is way too whipped and maybe that is the best requirement to play the best boyfriend alongside Minhyun -- or maybe, just maybe, it is a curse in the sheep’s coat, giving Seongwoo a new year’s start with heartbreak and aching for the short-lived love.

“It’s just for one night anyway…”

There’s a reason why Seongwoo is being called a fool, considering how he misses the flash of hurt flickering in Minhyun’s eyes, how he mistakes the sweet crinkling of Minhyun’s eyes into crescent moons as happiness, how he misses out on the obvious in his own world built upon preventions to be hurt and low expectations for no good reason.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passes by in a blur of more assignments, camping out at the library, final exams and the following days of Christmas celebrations with the family; by the time Seongwoo is back at his dorm room in Seoul, it’s already the day before New Year’s Eve.

During their free days, Seongwoo has messaged Minhyun quite a lot, even stressing out over the fact if they should really pull through with his plan. All it took from Minhyun’s side was a phone call until Seongwoo had fallen asleep to wash away any last worries, sighing in disbelief and agony that his friend was running through the world with blind eyes.

On New Year’s Eve, Seongwoo is stressing out once again but this time without complaining to Minhyun.

In some twisted way, Seongwoo perceives this occasion more as a first date rather than a show off their ‘newly committed relationship’; thus he has to make a good impression, no, a _outstanding_ impression. For most parts, Minhyun only knows Seongwoo’s daily style: recycled outfits consisting nowadays mostly of turtlenecks, oversized pullovers, ripped jeans.

That’s not what Seongwoo is trying to go for the party -- that’s not what’s passable for a party.

Alright, no one from his friends circle cares about their appearance; Daniel, for example, turns up to their hangouts or parties in sweatpants and Supreme hoodies, but even Sungwoon is starting to follow that trend. His best friend doesn’t need to care anymore or at least not as much anymore as he used to. Seongwoo on the other hand _has_ to make this one chance count and even if the night doesn’t end in the way he secretly wishes and hopes for, at least he wants to look back to that one New Year’s Eve one day and pat himself on the mental shoulder for trying to lure Minhyun in.

Hours have been spent after showering in front of his wardrobe trying to pick out an outfit without failing to get an usable opinion from his friends for each new combination of clothes -- in the end, Seongwoo has gone for a white dress shirt, top buttons being undone, and thigh-hugging black jeans, a classic choice for more worthy occasions. As usual, he decides to go for his comma hairstyle, and lastly puts on his cologne richest of a mature scent.

Anyone whose jaw wouldn’t go slack at the view of Seongwoo after he has styled himself up to the max was simply blind, or has bad taste, and Minhyun is neither of that. Well, at least Seongwoo hopes so. From what he remembers, Minhyun’s last date, Hyunbin or whatever his name was, could have put any male model to shame and probably delve into the industry with ease. Seongwoo bases Minhyun’s fine taste in men off that guy and honestly, it only makes him feel as if he pales in comparison. Even if he recognizes his own good looks, Seongwoo still has a skewed self-perception and has underlying doubts in himself, threatening to bubble up to the surface whenever he just thinks as much as thinks of having a chance with Minhyun. With no means does Seongwoo think of Minhyun as shallow, he knows that the older boy rather looks through a person to get to their very core, wanting to have an insight of their inner beauty, but nothing is logical in his addled mind whenever it comes to Minhyun, who seems so unreachable and untouchable no matter how close he really is to Seongwoo.

At times of resurfacing self doubts is Seongwoo thankful that he’s going to a relaxed gathering with his friends with more than enough alcohol to at least get tipsy and less tense. Considering that his tolerance is rather high and indications of an extremely changed behavior only happens once he’s past his limit, Seongwoo can allow himself to get a drink or two or maybe three to shut off his never-ending flow of negative thoughts and focus instead on enjoying his moment with Minhyun.

Talking about the devil, or better said the angel, _his angel_ , Minhyun arrives right at their appointed time to pick Seongwoo up from his dorm room to go to Jaehwan’s house together as any other couple would have done. However, once Minhyun comes into Seongwoo’s vision, the younger boy wants nothing more than to crawl back into his bed and cry at the beauty and grace of his crush.

Black dress shirt unbuttoned at the top, equally black ripped skinny jeans and a green long blazer jacket being thrown over -- it’s a bit over the top, but in Seongwoo’s eyes, Minhyun could easily be high royalty coming from the Slytherin house. (Damn Daniel and Sungwoon for being such Harry Potter nerds that even Seongwoo has become a lowkey fan of the series. His point still stands even if he wouldn’t admit the comparison out loud.)

“You look hot,” is the first thing Seongwoo manages to blurt out upon Minhyun’s arrival and he’s already drunk from taking everything in of the other boy, starting from his appearance to the rich laughter cutting so effortlessly through the air. Honestly, it’s not fair how Seongwoo’s legs already turn to jelly and how his heart decided to compete in a marathon just from a simple _you don’t look bad either._

So, starting from that point on, there’s no more turning back. Even if Seongwoo is still pretty damn nervous, he can’t just blow it off, especially because he knows that his friends would get him out of bed either way if he’d use the excuse of sickness, and on top of that, he’d dragged Minhyun out of his own ‘inhouse party’ to go to a social gathering as his fake boyfriend.

 _Boyfriend_ \-- days have passed and he still can’t get used to it. Maybe it’s better that way to see it as a strange concept, a wrongly formed shape of his lips, as Seongwoo knows that word has an expiration date on it, which is in fact due the day after. However, for one night, Seongwoo is allowed to bask in the sin of his desires before he has to fast on friendship again.  


On their way to Jaehwan’s house, it’s rather quiet between them, only the faint noises of the music coming from the radio are working as a filler for unspoken words. Half-listening to the DJ, Seongwoo can make something out about a song _Do I Wanna Know?_ and he briefly wonders why exactly a rock music station is running, but he isn’t really questioning it anymore once the tune kicks in and the lyrics ring in his ear loudly. Somehow, he feels a connection to the song and he unconsciously keeps on glancing to his side, watching Minhyun’s every move and step.

It’s almost pathetic how disappointed Seongwoo gets upon seeing that Minhyun only gazes out of the side window without any reaction. After all, the feeling doesn’t flow both ways, eh?

Shaking his head at the silly thought, Seongwoo focuses solely back on the road until they’ve reached Jaehwan’s house and it is only once they’re out of the car that Minhyun becomes his usual touchy-feeling self again, thus taking the lead between them.

With hands and fingers interlocked are they waiting at the front door until someone finally opens the door for them, and Seongwoo really dreads stepping past the doorstep upon being greeted with Jaehwan’s psycho laughter and Jisung’s shocked expression, mouth agape widely and eyeballs almost popping out of its sockets.

So much as to acting decently, even with a date in hand does Seongwoo still get teased somehow.

Begrudgingly, Seongwoo asks if they’re done gaping at him - at _them_ \- as if they’re monkeys at the zoo or if they want to take picture as well, which has been a very, _very_ bad idea. Of course Jaehwan has to take the question literal and wipe out his phone from his pocket to snap a picture of them with a sinister smile stretching across his cheeks -- oh, what would Seongwoo only give for the smile to split apart Jaehwan’s round cheeks to serve him as instant karma.

(On another thought, that sounds too bloody and messy and definitely not the way Seongwoo wants to end the year. Instead, he has to stay calm and reserved and patient; after all, he wants to end the year with a bang -- preferably banged by Minhyun.)

It’s really a wonder to Seongwoo that Minhyun is seemingly unbothered by his (fake) boyfriend’s friends’ weird antics yet at the same it’s just _so_ Minhyun. He even jokes around with Jaehwan afterwards that they do resemble monkeys in the zoo judging on how the picture turned out: Seongwoo’s otherwise flawless face being distorted by a dark frown thus turning him to the Grinch (quote by Minhyun himself) and Minhyun’s grin only caught on camera halfway up and his fox eyes being half-lidded thus giving him the image of a drunktard.

Just one comment by Minhyun and Seongwoo’s expression softens out at its edges as laughter erupts from him, his hand clutching stronger on Minhyun’s hand as a natural instinct, and it has Minhyun grinning proudly for cheering up his best friend slash date.

Reaching out to ruffle Seongwoo’s perfectly styled hair, Minhyun is met with a weak punch against his chest and a whine of protest, endearingly gazing down at Seongwoo whose cheeks are puffed out childishly, and in Minhyun’s mind, the other boy resembles a cute squirrel stuffed with walnuts. Seongwoo manages to swoon Minhyun off his feet even more by sticking his pink lips out into an adorable pout and it takes all of the older boy’s self-restraint to not lean down and kiss away the pout, though his gaze might linger on Seongwoo’s lips more than necessary.

Almost as if on cue, the other boys stumble out from the living room with curious looks and one of them breaks apart the new couple’s intimate moment by jumping in to pull Seongwoo more inside the house, and who else could it have been but Daniel -- there’s only one among his friends who can easily manhandle Seongwoo. Yelping from Daniel’s brutal and unmeasured force (how Sungwoon even survives Daniel’s surprise attacks of physical affection is still a mystery to Seongwoo), the latter is picked up by the oversized puppy, dragged to the couch and tackled down right next to Sungwoon. _Awkward_.

“No more escaping for you, Seongwoo,” Daniel says right next to Seongwoo’s ear while he’s draped all over his slightly smaller but considerably lankier best friend, being intent to trap Seongwoo between the couch and his big body to restrict any movements. Knowing too damn well that it’s useless to argue with Daniel and talk some sense into him (especially considering that he has had a drink or maybe two already judging on the smell of alcohol mingling in his breath of peppermint and sweets) and no one is making an attempt to get the big guy off poor Seongwoo -- he’s clearly _the_ victim in his circle of friends, thank you very much, his point just gets proven again.

It’s only once Sungwoon has had enough of seeing his boyfriend being all over someone else that Daniel starts to behave and lets Seongwoo breathe properly again, thankfully. Chest heaving up and down as he’s taking in deep and exaggerated breaths, Seongwoo soon feels the couch dip next to him and a warmth being plastered right next to his side, the touch of a body so familiar. Briefly, Seongwoo wonders how four grown men manage to squeeze on the small space provided but it takes one glance to his side to see that Sungwoon has taken a seat on Daniel’s lap instead, who has his nose nuzzled affectionately into his smaller boyfriend’s neck.

There’s a ting of jealousy creeping up on him and his eyes linger unnecessarily long on the couple next to him with greed and want being transparent on his expression; just a moment of letting his guard fall and Seongwoo already gives himself away, but could he be blamed? No matter how close Minhyun is squeezed right next to him, it’s not enough for Seongwoo’s insatiable hunger for more affection, for more Minhyun, more him and Minhyun, more _love_. If it comes in form of physical touches, it is enough for the night -- it is enough to have his heart touched metaphorically simply by alluding himself that Minhyun’s initiated intimacy might mean more than just a simple forced touch.

For the night, Seongwoo blends out anything he knows about Minhyun: his tendency to be touchy, his born urge to be closer to one than necessary, his misconception of personal space and platonic friendship. His gentle nature, his instinct of taking care of others, his overly affectionate personality. Seongwoo doesn’t want to think of the insignificance of Minhyun’s hand on his thigh, his thumb rubbing imaginary circles into the supple skin, while he can feel Minhyun’s hot breath ghosting over his earshell from how his head is resting on the smaller’s shoulder. Ignoring the shiver running down his spine and his body feeling as if it’s electrically charged, any more touch threatening to send shocks through him and release the tension loaded in himself and the air around them, Seongwoo forces a breath out he’s sucked in without noticing and dares to tilt his head to the side, looking into Minhyun’s sparkling eyes.

Once again, their moment gets interrupted by Daniel childishly gagging and pretending to throw up, which makes Seongwoo roll back his eyes in annoyance and complain about Daniel’s lack of maturity. _Such a brat_.

“When you two started dating-” before Seongwoo can finish his sentence, Daniel shoves his best friend away causing him to fall against Minhyun, who holds onto him by slinging his arms around Seongwoo’s upper body and shifting his weight comfortably on his chest. Neither of them comment on the crimson red blush spreading across Seongwoo’s cheeks.

“At least I’ve told you I had a boyfriend, I can’t say the same about you.” Sighing in defeat, Seongwoo knows there’s nothing he can do to appease Daniel’s sulkiness, which is pretty understandable on Daniel’s part -- it’d have been only fair to tell his best friend of years about one of the greatest news, but he’s ridden himself into a clusterfuck without giving any thought to it. Letting Daniel into the plan would have been even worse as the other one would have never let Seongwoo get himself into a pretend relationship. So for now, he can only hope that Daniel can fully forgive Seongwoo in a few days; until his best friend moved on from the feelings of betrayal, Seongwoo would have to endure Daniel’s wrath, which is coming over him in a quiet but badly burning manner.

The only reason Seongwoo’s mood isn’t completely dropping off is Minhyun’s reassuring embrace and the comforting fingers running lightly through his raven hair again, scraping along his scalp without any real pressure added from time to time. By now, Seongwoo shoves back his own vanity to enjoy the feeling, be it damned that all the hours of working on his hairstyle cautiously are running down the drain. Minhyun’s petting can make up for the destruction.

They stay in the position without making any attempts of moving apart; with Seongwoo leaning halfway on Minhyun’s chest, the other’s arm loosely encircled around Seongwoo’s chest and his hand sprawled on the younger boy’s flat stomach while the other hand is tangled in Seongwoo’s hair. At some point, Seongwoo dares to put his own hand over Minhyun’s but doesn’t go as far as to interlock their fingers, even if they have done the same just before entering the house. Just feeling Minhyun’s smooth skin and warmth radiating under his palm, Seongwoo is content enough, and it’s clearly shown by the sigh escaping his mouth and his thin lips curling into a cat-like smile.

 

Soon enough, the party is unfolding at its fullest: Loud music blasting from the speakers Jaehwan has set up, all kinds of alcoholic drinks decorating the table in the living room, chattering drowning out the club hits being played in the room thus settling a comfortable but exciting mood over them.

Everyone is gathered around starting from Jaehwan, who has managed to gather the courage to invite Sewoon to his party, to Jisung, whose girlfriend is unluckily on a trip with her parents, but at least he’s brought along his and Daniel’s own squad of friends. For most parts, no one seems to even bother paying attention to the new couple in the sense that the dating news are brought up as a topic; conversations flow naturally and revolve around all kinds of trivial things, mostly an ode to the year that has flown past them in the blink of an eye.

They laugh about their memorable parties and their fuck-ups together, get sentimental about their roadtrip in the summer together, tease Jisung about his never-changing relationship status until the eldest among them opens up about his plans to propose to the love of his life. Each one of them sober up from their childish acts to listen attentively and congratulate Jisung on the important decision, throwing in ideas to make the proposal special and memorable in its own way. Even Minhyun gets in a word or two despite not being exactly part of their friends circle -- yet Jisung thanks him for his mature and quite romantic ideas.

At some point, Jaehwan jumps up from his seat to grab his guitar and sing over the loud music, bass pumping through the room, some melody being strung and some lyrics that have crossed his mind to celebrate the magical moment. It mellows the atmosphere even more as new drinks are passed around the circle, though Minhyun politely declines the offer despite Daniel’s constant bugging. It’s only when Seongwoo puts in a stern word - he knows Minhyun doesn’t like to drink - that Daniel leaves Minhyun alone albeit a comment about “lover bird is now tamed and obedient” still leaves his plush lips. Seongwoo merely snorts at the words but deep down he knows it’s futile to deny his soft spot for Minhyun.

The night goes on and on, turning wilder and more and more eventful the closer they get to midnight; from Jaehwan dancing around in the living room in funny ways (and accidently knocking over a bottle of champagne) to Daniel and Sungwoon leaving for a while too long to be only a ‘bathroom break’, coming back with mussed up hair and hickeys littering up from under their collars whenever they leaned forward and expose their necks unwillingly.

In comparison to his friends, Seongwoo and Minhyun stay quiet and tame as they remain in cuddling positions on the couch, but don’t show any other signs of romantic closeness otherwise. Contrary to belief, Seongwoo enjoys the quiet intimacy and wishes to bask in it as long as possible, knowing it’d all be gone with the wind by next morning.

Jaehwan however thinks otherwise.

“Let’s play Truth or Dare!” He shouts into the mess of music and voices instantly gaining all attention on himself. Sinister smile plastered on his face, Jaehwan lets his gaze trail across the room to the couple sprawled out on the couch before giving a (failed) wink to Seongwoo, who already feels beads of sweats form on his forehead from dread.

“Minhyun!” The words roll of Jaehwan’s tongue so easily and without hesitation, his expression showing the look of a dare-devil, and Seongwoo is already digging his fingers tightly into Minhyun’s arm from the tension arising within himself again. “Truth or Dare?”

Thinking about it deeply for a moment, Minhyun chooses truth and awaits the question calmly while Seongwoo wants nothing more than to quietly vanish out of eyesight as to stop being an inspiration for his friend’s stupid questions. He just _knows_ that Jaehwan is going to embarrass them somehow.

As expected, Jaehwan delivers as Seongwoo has expected it, and the latter literally facepalms himself harshly before hiding his crimson red cheeks behind his fingers.

“What’s your favorite sex position? Seongwoo is so prude whenever we ask.”

It’s not only Seongwoo who gets embarrassed on Jaehwan’s behalf for being so straightforward and blunt without shame, but Minhyun as well, whose collected facade is finally crumbling as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat and blushes all the way down from his cheeks to his neck visibly. (Seongwoo quietly wonders how much further the pretty red reaches on Minhyun’s body but quickly shakes off the thought as to not wander into dangerous territories.)

“If you don’t answer, you have to take a shot.” Holding up a vodka shot, Jaehwan quirks his eyebrow at Minhyun in a comedical way, awaiting the boy’s next move. Seongwoo on the other hand is torn between wanting Minhyun to just down one shot of alcohol for once and wanting to protect him by nudging him to literally answer they’ve never had sex before, so no point in asking for a favorite position. No matter how curious Seongwoo himself is in the answer about Minhyun’s personal preference, he can easily do without the knowledge as well, as long as Minhyun doesn’t let himself get talked into something he doesn’t want.

After a few more moments of silence, Minhyun reaches out for the vodka shot, earning himself a few disappointed groans, but Seongwoo makes sure to give each one of his friends a hopefully threatening stare to silently tell them all off.

“Are you sure you want to drink this?” Words hushed and earnest in worry, Seongwoo gently places his hand on Minhyun’s wrist to hold the older boy back from drinking until he gets a firm nod from him. Usually, Seongwoo is one of those to egg his friends on to drink more, down shots after shots in one go, but with Minhyun it is different -- with Minhyun, everything is different, for him he even bends his principles and breaks his bad habits just to create a safe space. Seongwoo is whipped for Minhyun through and through that it even shows in the smallest instances.

Placing the glass to his lips, Minhyun throws his head back and downs the strong liquid in one go; face scrunched up from the burn in his throat, he coughs from the hitting aftertaste of the alcohol and makes a noise of displeasure while Seongwoo soothingly rubs circles into Minhyun’s back.

It takes Minhyun a few moments to recover from the experience of hard-hitting alcohol but as soon as he’s caught himself, he continues with the game in the same blunt and teasing matter as Jaehwan. The more the game progresses, Seongwoo notices Minhyun’s change in demeanour: If he has been prone to be touchy before, his initiation of public display of affection are even more noticeable and daring after the alcohol has entered his system.

Minhyun’s arm is wrapped around Seongwoo’s lithe waist, hand resting on his hip bone and fingers scooting across the area unconsciously. It takes all of Seongwoo’s willpower to not squirm in his seat from having Minhyun’s long, slender fingers pressed into his skin on his upper thigh, or to shove Minhyun off himself when the other laughs into his shoulder and keeps his head placed there, his hot breath fanning Seongwoo’s sensitive neck and causing the ends of his fine hair to stand up.

When Seongwoo’s name gets called up though he instantly wipes up into the direction of the voice and pushes Sungwoon to stop being a tease by taking unnecessarily long with coming up with a dare -- Seongwoo has picked the latter simply from being afraid of being busted if he can’t come up with a good ‘truth’ regarding his relationship with Minhyun.

Sometimes, Seongwoo wonders though if he’s cursed with bad luck or if his friends just hate him.

“Your dare is to do a body shot off Minhyun,” Sungwoon simply says without any wavering in his voice but mischief twinkling in his eyes as he leans back on Daniel smugly and contently.

For a moment, Seongwoo considers if he should chicken out but at the same time, he’s tempted to get more of Minhyun that it even makes his heart race at the thought of feeling Minhyun’s unblemished skin under his fingers and tongue. Another glance at the person of desire reveals lust and curiosity in his eyes, which sends a shudder through Seongwoo’s body but without doubt, the fox-like man shows a strong attraction to the idea.

Quickly as to not change his mind Seongwoo gets a glass of tequila as well as the other quintessential things before he places his hand on Minhyun’s chest and adds pressure to gently lay him against the surface of the couch. His gaze lowered on Minhyun’s face only to blend out the others in the room, Seongwoo can feel the blood rushing rapidly through his veins and coloring his pale skin red from embarrassment, but the rasant beating of his heart is an indication to the anticipation for the body shot.

“Hold onto the lime with your teeth,” Seongwoo murmurs and holds out his hand with the rind facing Minhyun as he waits for the other to suck it between his teeth obediently. Afterwards, he puts salt on the juncture between Minhyun’s neck and right shoulder, his tongue licking his dry lips unconsciously from the thought of lapping on the skin in just a short while.

Once the preparations are done, Seongwoo takes his shot glass from the table and straddles Minhyun’s thighs, careful as to not scoot too much forward and cause friction at a body part too sensitive, yet Seongwoo’s whole body still feels electrified just from Minyhun’s hands on his hips and dangerously close to his ass. Seongwoo tells himself that Minhyun only wants to steady him and deafens all the other voices in his mind as he finally proceeds to down the tequila, his Adam’s apple rising up and down as the burning liquid flows down his esophagus, and with the world spinning slightly around himself and the edges of his vision being blurry, Seongwoo leans forward to lap on Minhyun’s sensitive skin. Salt and sweat swirling on the tip of his tongue, Seongwoo isn’t sure if he’s only intoxicated from the alcohol or from his ministrations on Minhyun’s body or if it’s rather from the harsh grip of Minhyun’s hands on Seongwoo’s ass by now.

Either way, Seongwoo takes more time than necessary to _carefully_ lick away all the salt before he moves on to bite on the flesh of the lime, tilting his head as to not bump their noses together and he has to hold onto Minhyun’s shoulders firmly to restrain himself from moving the lime out of the way and press his salty lips against Minhyun’s shiny lips caused by the juice of the lime and his saliva mixing.

Thick sexual tension is hanging heavy in the air as Seongwoo chews lightly on the lime while his whole body is still leaned over Minhyun’s, their faces only inches away from each other’s and their gazes locked from the hypnotization of the intimate moment, and only the loud awkward coughing erupting in the room yanks them out of their intense trance.

Instantly pushing himself off Minhyun’s body, Seongwoo stumbles backwards on the couch and topples into himself from the sheer embarrassment radiating from himself that it clouds all of his senses; responsibility and anxiety kicks in again especially as he sees Minhyun excusing himself and quickly walking out of the room, leaving Seongwoo pathetically alone.

“What the fuck?” Daniel’s deep voice cuts through the fog engulfing Seongwoo and he looks up into the distraught expressions of his friends, whining miserably as the crushing weight of reality dawns upon him. “Fuck, Seongwoo, go talk to Minhyun, there’s definitely a lot of unresolved tension between you and him.”

Not even a chance of resistance is given to Seongwoo as Daniel pulls him up from the couch and gives him a shove forwards to the direction Minhyun has escaped to and Seongwoo’s legs feel like jelly as he slowly makes his way towards the balcony of the house. In his fogged up mind, Seongwoo could still make out something about “fresh air” which has been a hint enough for Minhyun’s whereabouts.

 

Soon enough, Seongwoo is out on the balcony but his steps stutter upon seeing Minhyun’s back being illuminated by the moonlight and letting his grace prosper in its fullest form. Even in rough situations, Seongwoo can find comfort in Minhyun while simultaneously feeling his heart swell from the love and affection he has for the other, and neither does fit to the previous heavy tension between them. Albeit his body is still affected from the intimacy, Seongwoo’s soul wants to reach out for Minhyun’s and embrace it, make them one and never let go what they have, _no_ , wants to make it real what they could have.

There’s no doubt anymore that sparks are flying between them and maybe the feeling flows both ways after all -- now is the only chance for Seongwoo to find out at once.

“Minhyun-” his words are getting cut off by a soft pair of lips against his own, Minhyun’s hand cradling Seongwoo’s cheek desperately, and it takes Seongwoo a moment or two too late to have the gears in his mind working properly again and realizing that Minhyun has _really_ and _finally_ kissed _him_.

“I love you, Seongwoo, and I don’t know if I’ve read all the signs wrong now considering that you haven’t responded to the kiss but-- I can’t fake this anymore, I’m sorry, it’s too overwhelming for me to have you so close yet so far away from me.” Minhyun’s breathing gets heavy the more his speech drags on and his fists are curled up in the collar of Seongwoo’s dress shirt as he lets vulnerability take over him as well as the urgency, need and desperateness.

Silence stretches across them and Minhyun slowly weakens his grip as all the energy is drained out of him but Seongwoo instead takes Minhyun’s hands into his own, cradling the limbs against his chest gently, while his lips curl up into a bright smile, his eyes shaping into sweet crescent moons. Leaning up to place a chaste kiss against Minhyun’s lips, Seongwoo murmurs those three words that have been waiting to find the light of the world: _I love you_.

“We’ve both been cowardly idiots, right?” Laughter fills the air at Minhyun’s blunt question which is more a statement than anything, all the tension being shaken off themselves and Seongwoo can’t help but to hug Minhyun tightly and feel their hearts beating in sync as their chests are being pressed against each others.

“That’s why I’m the _Ongcheongie_ to your _Hwangcheongie_.” Seongwoo’s answer elicits another fit of giggles from Minhyun as happiness and a sense of squeezing affection falls over them like a heavy blanket.

Their moment gets interrupted once again by Sungwoon who prompts them to _hurry up, it’s almost midnight!_ and for once both of them are thankful for the ever so unlucky timings.

In a few minutes, each one of them are found outside the house; while they wait for the last minute of the year to pass, Sungwoon gets the fireworks ready with Daniel standing closely to him as a “protection shield”.

Seongwoo and Minhyun are standing off to the side with quite some distance to the other couple and as the countdown starts from ten, Minhyun pulls the slightly smaller boy flush to his body, arms snaking around Seongwoo’s waist while the latter tips on his toes to be face-to-face with his taller _boyfriend_. Breaths mingling and smiles matching in the same love-drunk manner, their lips close the distance with each passing second.

“Three, two, _one!_ ”

Cheers are erupting around them, the first firework is let off, yet the whole world freezes and stops spinning as they both lean in for their first real kiss, sweet and filled with thousand and thousand of unspoken words and promises, but what counts to them is the love that is finally shared. Fireworks are not only going off in the sky but in their hearts as well, adding a magical touch to the ever so beautiful moment that has long been due.

Seongwoo’s resolution for the new year is no longer to find new love -- it is to hold onto the love he has for Minhyun and remind him each day, each minute and each passing second that he is the only person Seongwoo wants to have and hold and _love_.

They no longer have to fake it until they make it; what they have is real and precious and sealed with the lock of their lips. As the years change and the past one is left behind to give way for a fresh start so is their love allowed to bloom and the confines of pretense shaken off, making way for a relationship to spread out to its fullest and purest form of love.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, comments and feedback are always appreciated! you can find me on twitter // cc


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